Satisfying Your Gaming Addiction

XCOM and Dishonored are Killin’ it with Reviews

I alluded to this many times in the October game list, look here folks! Two games I said would be making statements with critics have released and my goodness they are doing very well for (1) being a brand new IP and (2) being a re-imagination of a very old franchise.

So lets get a break down of the games as they stand starting with…

Dishonored

Personally, this is my most anticipated title of the year, so it pleases my ears to hear that it is doing extremely well with critics. Does that mean the game will sell well? There is an obvious correlation between the overall score a game gets and its sales, but with this economy its hard to see concretely say how a game will fare in the wild. Just in case your on the fence, lets take a look at some quotes from reviews around the web.

Dishonored gives you a beautiful, fascinating, new world to explore, and then makes it your playground for grand misdeeds. Its story of political intrigue and betrayal is told at exactly the right pace, balancing information with action in a way that keeps you interested, but not overloaded. Dishonored is smart enough to know not to try too hard to impress you, and as a result, it will blow you away.

Are you getting sick of playing games that don’t actually let you play? You know the ones I mean: they funnel you down a narrow path, don’t give you much freedom in what you can do, and rely on cinematic set pieces to drive the spectacle. I am, and that’s why Dishonored is such a refreshing experience. It picks up where games like Deus Ex and BioShock left off, and puts choice back in the hands of the player.

What makes Dishonored great are the mechanics made possible by the universe in which it exists. There is a level of replayability and creativity available here that isn’t seen in most stealth action games. You aren’t just figuring out how you need to get from point A to point B, but how you want to get there.

– Alexander Sliwinski, Joystiq

XCOM: Enemy Unknown

This was destined to be a gem in my mind. While I am biased towards strategy RPG games, XCOM was the grand papa of the all. It clearly resonated with some developers out there, because the reviews are stellar as well. Don’t believe me? Take a look:

It’s been almost 20 years since the first game in the X-COM series was released, but the developers at Firaxis have managed to pull off a splendid modern remake. XCOM: Enemy Unknown strikes a nearly perfect balance between being faithful to the original and improving on the older title. Where the game really shines is in its ability to create moments of tension and indecision, be it deciding where to move your soldiers in combat or how to expend your limited resources.

XCOM is one of the most important strategy games in years. It’s a great remake, sure, and that’s enough for most longtime fans, but for everyone else, know that this is a truly accessible strategy game. To the point where, if you own a 360 or PS3, you can play this with a controller and not miss a thing.

I don’t want to leave you with the impression that XCOM: Enemy Unknown is anything less than an amazing, triumphant game right down to its core. It’s XCOM’s Batman Begins, in effect — it does a magnificent job of rebooting the series with its soul intact, delivering an awesome modern experience and paving the way for a future that doesn’t just recreate the tense tactical battles and global strategy of the 18-year-old original, but builds on them.

XCOM is a great addition to the strategy genre, complete with an engaging campaign full of tension and challenges. The characters grow in satisfying ways, but the tactical game doesn’t ever quite give players enough room to make the most of their abilities.

In taking on the series, Civilization creator Firaxis has shown reverence and understanding for what makes it special. XCOM’s ingredients are hard to recombine: strategy with consequences. A technology metagame where you use the enemy’s weapons against them. Emotional attachment to player-created soldiers and a feeling of meaningful death when you lose them. High-fidelity destructibility.

– Evan Lahti, PC Gamer

Those are some mighty fine review scores from across the web. Expect a review of Dishonored and XCOM: Enemy Unknown from Analog Addiction in the near future!

Jaime is running low on resources (money…) and will be hard pressed to choose one of these games and thinks that these reviews only make the decision harder, woe is him. Tell him which one you should buy on Twitter.

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Awesome news, got me really interested in XCOM after the reviews. I don’t have twitter, so i’ll suggest dishonoured from here, as its a new IP. However, if you cant afford the games in Aus, try ozgameshop…though i’m not quite sure if i’ve recommended it to you before, or if you go through them.